Hezbollah member killed in Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon

Beirut, May 14 An Israeli drone strike killed a Hezbollah member in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, targetting a vehicle near Qaaqaait al-Jisr in the Wadi al-Hujayr area, Lebanese security and official sources said.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that "an enemy drone targeted a car at the entrance of Wadi al-Hujayr near Qaaqaait al-Jisr in the Nabatieh district this morning."

The Lebanese Ministry of Health's Public Health Emergency Operations Center confirmed one fatality in the strike. Civil Defence officials said the vehicle caught fire, and the body was transported to a hospital in Nabatieh.

A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that the deceased was identified as Hussein Nehmeh Milhem Shomran, a Hezbollah member from Qaaqaait al-Jisr.

Also on Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had carried out the strike, describing the target as a senior Hezbollah figure.

"Israeli Defense Forces aircraft carried out an attack in the area of Qaaqaait al-Jisr in southern Lebanon, eliminating a member of the Hezbollah terrorist organization who held the position of commander of the Qabrikha compound," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on social media platform X.

In a separate incident, the NNA reported that an Israeli drone crashed due to a technical malfunction and exploded inside a home in the town of Shebaa, in the Hasbaya district. No casualties were reported, though material damage was sustained.

The cross-border strikes come despite a ceasefire agreement reached on November 27, 2024, intended to halt more than a year of hostilities tied to the war in Gaza. The truce, mediated by the US and France, had largely held, though sporadic flare-ups have continued.

Israel has said its strikes are intended to neutralize Hezbollah threats. However, the Lebanese government and several Arab states have accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement. Despite the truce's provision requiring a full Israeli withdrawal, Israeli forces continue to hold several strategically important positions in southern Lebanon.

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